Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

Many issues come before the House and when Members or members of the press or people with considerable power and influence or people who are well organised identify with them, there is a great racket about them but not many people in or around the Chamber have experience of poverty and perhaps do not identify as much with it as they should. If an agency dealing with any other area of life was closed down in this manner, there would be a racket about it. However, this agency deals with poverty and the needs of people who are largely not given the voice they should be given. The Labour Party will not allow this to happen unchallenged. I challenge the Order of Business because the Government is trying to slip this measure in under the door in the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. It is a retrograde step. There are 12 cuts in the Bill and the Government is clearing the decks for more down the line.

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